oyer and terminer
Americannoun
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(in some U.S. states) any of various higher criminal courts.
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British.
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a commission or writ directing the holding of a court to try offenses.
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the court itself.
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noun
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English law (formerly) a commission issued to judges to try cases on assize. It became obsolete with the abolition of assizes and the setting up of crown courts in 1972
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the court in which such a hearing was held
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(in the US) a court exercising higher criminal jurisdiction
Etymology
Origin of oyer and terminer
1375–1425; late Middle English < Anglo-French: literally, to hear and determine
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Courts in which crimes are tried are sometimes called courts of oyer and terminer.
From The Government Class Book Designed for the Instruction of Youth in the Principles of Constitutional Government and the Rights and Duties of Citizens. by Young, Andrew W.
The court of oyer and terminer consists of all the judges except the chancellor.
From The Government Class Book Designed for the Instruction of Youth in the Principles of Constitutional Government and the Rights and Duties of Citizens. by Young, Andrew W.
Demurely dressed in grey, the little white-haired lady calmly faced the Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys and the four judges of oyer and terminer who sat with him, and confidently made her plea of "Not Guilty."
From The Historical Nights' Entertainment First Series by Sabatini, Rafael
But the preacher only announced that before handing the case to the civil court of oyer and terminer for judgment, the elders wished to hold it in meditation for another day.
From Heralds of Empire Being the Story of One Ramsay Stanhope, Lieutenant to Pierre Radisson in the Northern Fur Trade by Laut, Agnes C. (Agnes Christina)
It was held, in accordance with the Virginian act, by a commission of oyer and terminer, appointed by the governor.
From Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period Illustrative Documents by Jameson, J. Franklin (John Franklin)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
